Jonathan Williamson and Bonita Kolb

Since the first slickwater hydraulically fractured gas well was drilled in Pennsylvania in 2004, the development of the Marcellus Shale formation for natural gas has sparked a wide range of debates over its effects on Pennsylvania’s economy and environment. Slower to develop were discussions related to the effects, positive and negative, gas development was having on communities across the Commonwealth. This chapter considers one such community impact of gas development: its impact on housing and how communities might respond to the housing impacts created by natural gas within a sustainable framework. The effects of increased housing demand are broad-based, but the negative impacts are felt heaviest by those living at the economic margins. Never having extensive housing options, these groups are faced with limited choice in most affected communities.